Word of the Day
jabberwocky
noun
a playful imitation of language consisting of invented, meaningless words; nonsense; gibberish.
Why Dictionary.com chose jabberwocky
More about jabberwocky
- Coined by Lewis Carroll in “Jabberwocky,” a poem in Through the Looking Glass (1871).
- Explained by Carroll to mean “the result of much excited and voluble discussion.”
- Formed from jabber and the Old English word wocer or wocor, “offspring, fruit.”
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EXAMPLES OF JABBERWOCKY
- The children filled the playground with their delightful jabberwocky, creating a language only they could understand.
- In her dreams, she often found herself wandering through a surreal landscape where creatures spoke in intricate jabberwocky.
The words in our “Biggest Smile Wins” bracket aren’t jabberwocky, but they sure are funny! Vote now!
mellifluous
adjective
sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding.
Why Dictionary.com chose mellifluous
More about mellifluous
- First recorded in 1375–1425.
- Comes via Middle English from Late Latin mellifluus, which combines the stem of mel “honey” and –flu(ere) “to flow.”
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EXAMPLES OF MELLIFLUOUS
- The mellifluous melody of the song filled the room, captivating everyone who listened.
- The poet’s mellifluous verses painted a vivid and enchanting picture in the reader’s mind.
The words in our “Biggest Smile Wins” bracket are more funny-sounding than mellifluous… Vote now!
onomatopoeia
noun
the formation of a word by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.
Why Dictionary.com chose onomatopoeia
More about onomatopoeia
- First recorded in 1570–80.
- Comes via Late Latin, from the Greek word onomatopoiía, which translates as “the making of words.”
- The word poet shares the same Greek stem that means, “maker.”
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EXAMPLES OF ONOMATOPOEIA
- The comic book artist skillfully used onomatopoeia in the action scenes, drawing “zap” and “pow” in speech bubbles.
- In poetry, onomatopoeia adds a vivid and auditory dimension to the words on the page.
There are many onomatopoeic words in our “Biggest Smile Wins” bracket. Vote now!